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House tax committee weighs bill to rescind Rochester sports complex funding

By Rob Hubbard
Kamau Wilkins, owner and operator of the Minnesota South chapter of the Youth Enrichment League, testifies April 22 before the House Taxes Committee for a bill sponsored by Rep. Kim Hicks to amend approved uses of local sales tax funds in Rochester. (Photo by Andrew VonBank)
Kamau Wilkins, owner and operator of the Minnesota South chapter of the Youth Enrichment League, testifies April 22 before the House Taxes Committee for a bill sponsored by Rep. Kim Hicks to amend approved uses of local sales tax funds in Rochester. (Photo by Andrew VonBank)

In 2023, Rochester voters approved a half-cent local sales tax extension designed to raise $205 million that would go toward an economic development fund, street reconstruction, flood control and water quality. But the largest amount, $65 million, would go toward a regional sports and recreation complex.

After its approval, the city commissioned a study to hash out details of the sports complex plan. And the price tag almost doubled, coming in at $120 million.

Reasons cited for the increase included previously underestimating the cost of land acquisition and inflation. The Rochester City Council voted to scrap the indoor recreation component of the project and focus on outdoor fields and courts, overriding a mayoral veto to put that measure in place.

Rep. Kim Hicks (DFL-Rochester) campaigned for the sales tax increase in 2023, but now wants the funding eliminated. That’s why she’s sponsoring HF4194, which would mandate that Rochester not collect funds for the sports and recreation complex after June 30, 2026.
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